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Allawi rising in run-up to Iraqi election

BAGHDAD, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Iraq's interim prime minister appears to be gaining momentum in the run-up to the nation's election, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday.

Iyad Allawi, a secular Shiite and onetime CIA-backed Iraqi opposition leader, is picking up support in the north and south.

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In Kirkuk, where ethnic identities are among the strongest in Iraq, the regional police chief is a Turkmen who works for a Kurd. Yet, he said he is voting for Allawi Sunday.

"He is a strong leader, and Iraq needs a strong leader," the police chief said.

Even among Shiites, facing pressure from their mosques to rally behind a slate put together by powerful cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Allawi is emerging as an alternative for those who fear rigorous Islamic views will creep into government.

"He's going to do surprisingly well," predicted Abdul Zahra Zaki, editor of the left-leaning Al Mada newspaper, who said he planned to vote for Allawi. "People want to give him a chance to continue what he started."

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